Axle\Gear Upgrade

FTI76 said:
Haha - I am not looking to waste money that's for damn sure! If I can safely re-gear to 5.13 and not need to beef up either my Dana 30 or Dana 35 I am completely OK with that. I could put that money towards a Tummy Tuck. Should anything else be done when re-gearing to 5.13?
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The chromoly shafts I recommended are upgrades. My main goal above was to get you off that 30 spline Super 30 kit idea.

What I would upgrade, if you want lockers and 33" tires, is the rear axle. In the rear axle I'd go with a Revolution Gear Super 35 kit. In the front axle, if you're going to lock it, it wouldn't hurt to replace the stock 27 spline carbon steel shafts with chromoly 27 spline shafts. You'll be upgraded to the point you won't have to worry about breaking things but not over-upgraded anywhere. This does however also give you the strength to also run 35's in the future should you get there.

This would be a good front axle shaft kit to consider, it includes the stronger Spicer 5-760x u-joints.

https://www.4lowparts.com/shop/dana-30-front-axle-kit-discovery-series/

This would be a good rear axle upgrade to consider. This one includes an ARB AIr Locker, they make a less costly version with the Detroit Locker like I used to run.

https://www.4lowparts.com/shop/super-35-rear-axle-kit-arb-air-locker-Dana 35-30spl/
 
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Rob5589 said:
You can/should replace the front axle u joints with the stronger 5-760 since you will be in there. The S35 kit in the rear is a definitely worthy upgrade. Especially from what you have shown, a rear locker would be the way to go and a locker on stock 35 axles is a bad idea. Other than that, there isn't much left to change.
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Jerry Bransford said:
The chromoly shafts I recommended are upgrades. My main goal above was to get you off that 30 spline Super 30 kit idea.

What I would upgrade, if you want lockers and 33" tires, is the rear axle. In the rear axle I'd go with a Revolution Gear Super 35 kit. In the front axle, if you're going to lock it, it wouldn't hurt to replace the stock 27 spline carbon steel shafts with chromoly 27 spline shafts. You'll be upgraded to the point you won't have to worry about breaking things but not over-upgraded anywhere. This does however also give you the strength to also run 35's in the future should you get there.
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Jerry Bransford said:
You have to understand what Blaine was trying to get at and Blaine wasn't talking about the situation FT176 is asking about. What I said just above in post #15 is right-on for his particular situation.

A SUPER 30 IS NOT NEEDED, NOT EVEN CLOSE, FOR 33" TIRES ON HIS TJ.

Come on guys, FT176 just did his very first wheeling trip and he's now going overboard on his plans for his maximum tire size plans of 33". He'll save $$$$$ by going with 27 spline chromoly shafts which is exactly what I did to run trails like Sledgehammer with 35" tires.

I personally consider even the chromoly 27 spline shafts to be massive overkill for 33" tires.
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My apologies, I didn't word it well enough to state the point that I meant to get across.

I wasn't focusing on FT176's build plan, nor was I making a recommendation on what he should do. That's a little misleading since this is in his thread. I was only commenting towards you (Jerry) since in the past I've seen you tell people specifically not to get the 30-spline kit for their plans to run 35" tires. So, I figured I'd just show you what I saw from Blaine since he seems like a supporter of the 30-spline kit. That's all.

I agree, a Super 30 is 200% overkill for 33's and the 27-spline chromoly shafts are still overkill too.

@FT176, I would leave the front axle alone and if you break a shaft, then upgrade to chromoly.
 
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FTI76 said:
@Jerry Bransford @JP98 Thank You both.

I've added the respective links to my build spreadsheet for future reference.

Next time instead of posting what I think I need, I will just ask what I need and save everybody a lot of time!

Lesson Learned.

:)
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LOL. The where would be the fun in that?

I think you have a great vision of where you see your rig in the near future and as Jerry said, with those upgrades you can run up to 35's and wheel with confidence. Not saying that 35's are the direction that you need to go in but it's nice to know that you have the option if you decide to step up to them without having to redo everything.
 
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Great thread. Thanks for asking the question and for the helpful info from everyone.

I am in the same boat with deciding how to address my Dana 35. Probably sooner than later. My question on the Super 35 kit....is this kit recommended due to budget, or is it a better option than finding a used Dana 44, which could definitely cost more depending on what that axle assembly would need?

In the perfect world, I would have Currie axles front and rear, but I also need to consider staying within a budget.

I would be doing the same level of wheeling as FT176 and am already on 33s with 4.56 gears (manual trans). My current Dana 35 has a fairly new Truetrac, but my shop says my axles have more side-to-side play than what is expected for a 35, and may need replacement soon. I'm trying to avoid being stranded in the wilderness, but also trying to avoid breaking the bank....again.

Thanks for any help on this question.

Side note...Hey Mr. Flad, please say hello to K. Flad for me. We went to High School together.
 
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BWS said:
My question on the Super 35 kit....is this kit recommended due to budget, or is it a better option than finding a used Dana 44, which could definitely cost more depending on what that axle assembly would need?
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Used TJ Dana 44 axles that will bolt right up to your TJ can be hard to find and odds are the owner will want a premium for it. If you find a used TJ Dana 44 at a reasonable price that'd be awesome but don't forget the cost of a Super 35 includes a good quality full-case locker like a Detroit Locker or ARB Air Locker. To the cost of a used Dana 44, factor in the cost of a full-case locker since a lunchbox locker in the rear is not a good idea. The 30 spline chromoly shafts in a Super 35 kit are stronger than the OE carbon steel 30 spline shafts that come in a TJ Dana 44.

And a non-TJ Dana 44 would be a major project to convert for use in a TJ. The axle tube and shafts would have to be shortened and you'd have to convert it from being set up for leaf springs to the 5-link coil spring setup a TJ requires.
 
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BWS said:
Great thread. Thanks for asking the question and for the helpful info from everyone.

I am in the same boat with deciding how to address my Dana 35. Probably sooner than later. My question on the Super 35 kit....is this kit recommended due to budget, or is it a better option than finding a used Dana 44, which could definitely cost more depending on what that axle assembly would need?

In the perfect world, I would have Currie axles front and rear, but I also need to consider staying within a budget.

I would be doing the same level of wheeling as FT176 and am already on 33s with 4.56 gears (manual trans). My current Dana 35 has a fairly new Truetrac, but my shop says my axles have more side-to-side play than what is expected for a 35, and may need replacement soon. I'm trying to avoid being stranded in the wilderness, but also trying to avoid breaking the bank....again.

Thanks for any help on this question.
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Since you already have a good gear setup on the Dana 35, I'd give a good look at the Super 35.

I wanted a Dana 44, but couldn't find one in my area. I'm going the Ford 8.8 route. (there are some pros and cons)
But my circumstance is different. I wanted 4.10 gears, and I got a Ford 8.8 axle with 4.10 gears already installed, plus I get disc brakes.
If I did the Super 30, I'd still have to pay extra for the gear upgrade, and still have drums.
(Although there can be arguments against the Ford 8.8 for the diff ground clearance and offset angle, and narrower track width)
In the end, it was relatively cheaper for me to do the Ford 8.8 - primarily due to the price of re-gearing, but still pretty close either way.

So while I'd say be aware that you have another option in a Ford 8.8 rear, I would lean more towards a Super 35 in your case, due to to your gears. Or keep your eyes open for a Dana44...they are out there, depending on where you live and when you look.
 
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Brantley said:
I'm not getting them confused. I have seen him recommend the Super 35 many times. That is not what I'm talking about.

There is a thread on here about swapping in HP30's. somewhere along the thread he said something along the lines of "don't get the Revo 27-spline stuff, it's a waste of a good axle kit." Give me a minute and I'll go pull up his quote. He was recommending the Super 30, although he did not use the name "Super 30."
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We need to get this in perspective. At the time that was said, Revo did not make anything for the front other than the big u-joint axles. The big u-joint axles are a waste with 27 spline inners so you should run them with a Super 30 kit but if you're running 33's, it doesn't matter. You aren't wheeling hard enough to make a difference and if you are, you're running the wrong size tire.
When I told Jerry to get 27 spline axles for his rig it was because at that time there were no stock replacement upgraded axles that fit a unit bearing. You could only get Warn stuff and to get larger than 27 spline outers, he would have to have what he has now which is the Warn big hub kit which requires moving to 5 on 5.5 rims to get the 30 spline outers which could be had with 27 spline inners, which would also have been a mistake. We broke too many 27 spline inners in JV to continue to run them out there given a reasonable choice.

I rarely have made blanket recommendations and almost always put my recommendation in the particular context of the poster's needs.
I've recommended the Super 35 but only when warranted, and always in context. If you don't fall into that particular context, it isn't recommended.
 
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Rob5589 said:
You can/should replace the front axle u joints with the stronger 5-760 since you will be in there. The S35 kit in the rear is a definitely worthy upgrade. Especially from what you have shown, a rear locker would be the way to go and a locker on stock 35 axles is a bad idea. Other than that, there isn't much left to change.
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